Operations Division

Captain David Samson
The Sheriff's Operations Division consists of the Patrol Unit, the Detective Unit, the
Boat Patrol Unit, the Live Oak Contract Unit, and Evidence. The Sutter County Sheriff's
Office patrol responsibility covers approximately 600 square miles of unincorporated area and
approximately 4 square miles of incorporated area. A Sheriff's primary responsibility
is to maintain the county jail and its prisoners. The Sheriff also provides Coroner and
Public Administrator functions for all areas in the County of Sutter. Sutter County Sheriff's
Office also provides law enforcement services to the citizens who live in the unincorporated areas.
Incorporated cities in a county normally have their own police department unless they contract for
law enforcement services. Under Contract, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office provides patrol
services for the incorporated City of Live Oak and a portion of the City of Yuba City.

The City of Live Oak is approximately 9 miles north of Yuba City and has a population of approximately 8,500 people. 7 Deputies, 1 Sergeant and 1 Lieutenant are assigned to staff the Live Oak Contract Area. The staff in Live Oak provides the same services that a police department would provide such as traffic enforcement and traffic accident investigation in addition to regular law enforcement services.

This year, Sheriff Parker has made changes in the office and each division. The changes that have been made are the combining of the Patrol Division, the Detective Division and the evidence section into a single division under one commander. The Jail Division has its own commander. The Support Services Division is now comprised of the Records Unit, Civil Unit, and our Dispatch Unit under one Communications Manager. These changes serve to streamline the office and unify the individual functions within the office. These changes have already made work flow much more efficient by promoting team work, and improving communication, both of which are key to effective leadership.

Sheriff Parker and his staff are continuously looking for new and innovative methods to effectively use your tax dollars to ensure public safety. Ideas are greatly appreciated and considered. Please feel free to contact the command staff with any questions you may have concerning the office.

Reserve Deputy Program

Patrol Car
The Sheriff has a Reserve unit with 35 reserves. This year, we have expanded the size of our reserve unit to better serve the community. Reserves augment patrol by providing a backup officer in the car and Level I reserves can operate by themselves and are trained to handle any call for service. Reserves are also used for special events, special event security operations and additional staffing on special enforcement details such as search warrants, probation searches and gang enforcement details.

Cadet Program

The Sheriff has a cadet unit comprised of youth from age 15 to 22 who volunteer
to help with many venues in the Sheriff's Office. They work in the jail,
our dispatch center and on patrol riding with deputies. The cadets also help
with public events by providing assistance with parking or serving food.
The cadet unit provides a venue for mentoring our youth and preparing them
for a career in law enforcement.

The Rural Beat Program

The Sheriff also has a resident deputy program for the outlining areas of the county. We have deputies who either live in the beat where they work or they are assigned to that beat on a regular basis. There are two beats in the south end of the county for the areas of Pleasant Grove, Nicolaus, Rio Oso, Verona and the Robbins areas. We now have a deputy assigned to each shift in the south end of the county so that we may have the best coverage in those areas. We have a deputy assigned to the Meridian beat in the west end of the county.

Special Teams

Multi-Agency Special Teams Exercise
The Sutter County Sheriff's Office also has a number of
Special Units and Teams comprised of deputies who specialize in many different venues of
law enforcement service. Those teams are listed as follows:

Special Enforcement Detail Team (SED)

Special Enforcement Detail
The Special Enforcement Detail Team (SED) is similar to a SWAT team. The team is highly trained to handle high risk events such as hostage situations, high risk warrants and any event that would require a tactical application to resolve the situation. There is a fitness requirement and regular and ongoing training in equipment and tactics used to resolve dangerous situations.

Canine Unit

Canine Unit
The Sheriff has an award winning Canine Unit with 5 dogs. All 5 dogs are trained in protection and 4 of them are cross trained in drug detection. Two of the dogs compete regularly in canine competitions throughout the state of California. We are frequently called upon by other agencies to assist them with our canine team.

Dive Recovery Team

The Sheriff has a Dive Recovery Team. This team is made up of deputies
who receive training in underwater black-water recovery. They perform technical
rescues on the river such as stranded people in fast moving water, capsized boats
and other water related emergencies. This has increased our ability to utilize resources outside our office when the need arises.

Bicycle Patrol

Bicycle Patrol
The sheriff also has a Bicycle Patrol team used for surreptitious patrol and public events such as parades and festivals, the Sutter Pedestrian Walkway between Sutter and Yuba City. This is a valuable tool for getting into areas we cannot go with a patrol car and it saves fuel.